Unnatural History

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Two weeks in the life of Gamebook Adventures

Tin Man Games have recently posted on their blog about their experiences of producing brand new gamebooks for the iPod generation.

It's certainly an exciting time and these guys are true trailblazers. They're not just re-packaging already published books - every adventure is brand new, especially written with the capabilities of the iDevice in mind.

I'll keep posting news about developments in Gamebook Adventures and you can read more for yourself here.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

M is for Monster!

M is for Monster is a new horror anthology coming this Halloween, but it's a publication with a difference. I'll let compiler John Prescott (no, not thatJohn Prescott) explain...

What you hold in your hands is a culmination of desire, talent, and a collective love of the macabre, mixed with a little luck and a big leap of faith. This is the product of a group of authors who came together to produce something unique - something that speaks of us all and unites us on a worldwide scale. With the book you're holding right now, we invite you to share the journey.

Inside, you will find twenty-six varied tales of monsters old and new, some dredged from the die-hard legends of old and some assembled from the innovative demands of creative necessity. These monstrosities span the lengths of the English alphabet, and with them, we authors bring to you a taste of our own flavors and haunts from around the globe.

At the outset, it seemed an intimidating challenge, this rallying of so many authors from so many locations and walks of life. But times are changing. Creative collaboration no longer knows any geographical bounds. The world is a much smaller place these days, and we twenty-six came together, bound by a common vision, to bridge what gaps remain.

I'm glad we took the plunge, and I'm honored to know twenty-five other authors willing to dive on in with me. Now it's on to you. Take a swim with us. Turn the page and ride the wave.

But beware... monsters lurk in these waters.

John Prescott

It's also quite a departure for me, as my story - I for Incubus - is about the most explicit, unpleasant and distasteful thing I've ever written, to the extent that I'm wondering if I should start an 18-rated blog to promote it, and any others stories like it that I might write.

24 hours in Nottingham - or - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Metal

So, last Friday lunchtime (with still some way to go on my latest Pax Britannia novella Proteus Unbound*) I packed in work for the day and headed up to Nottingham for FantasyCon 2010. Due to other commitments I would have to hit the motorway again at 2pm Saturday so arriving in Robin Hood's hood at 2pm on the Friday, I had 24 hours in which to experience all that FantasyCon had to offer.

Friday 17 September 2010

2pm - Arrived in Nottingham in need of a comfort break and so stopped at GW HQ and popped into Bugman's Bar... Where who should I run into but Christian Dunn and Alex Davis from Black Library editorial. Chris is holding a handful of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and was about to sit down with Alex to discuss... I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. Not yet, anyway. Suffice to say it was a very exciting moment!

Relaxed and ready to take on the world again, I had a good nose around the Warhammer World miniatures hall which gave me a few ideas for... But again, alas my lips are sealed for the time being.

3pm - Checked in to my hotel where I discovered that complimentary Wi-Fi in all rooms didn't actually mean free. Settled down to do some more work on Proteus Unbound.

8pm - Headed into the city, to The Salutation Inn, semi-ready for a night of Abaddon Books-sponsored metal karaoke. The first fifty to the bar received a complimentary** copy of Al Ewing's I, Zombiewhile David Moore judged the metal karaoke-ists, the winner receiving a complete set of his chosen Abaddon series!

10pm - David took the mike himself and I wondered why I don't do this sort of thing more often. David's hat gets passed round, photos are taken, and reputations are ruined, all at the click of a shutter lens.

Just for the record, I am not in any way metal - as this photograph proves most effectively.

11pm - Tinnitus kicks in and I realise why I don't do this sort of thing anymore.

12am - Head back to my hotel while the hardcore (a.k.a. Jon and David) rock into the wee small hours of the morning.

Saturday 18 September 2010

8am - Stumble out of bed, ears still ringing. Swear never to go to another metal karaoke as long as live (or until the same time next year, whichever is sooner).

9am - Back to the laptop. Proteus Unbound is starting to come together quite nicely now.

10am - Head off to the Britannia Hotel to experience FantasyCon for myself for the first time. Conclusion: It's basically a load of mates (who happen to be writers, artists and editors) all getting together for a pint*** and a chat.

Check out the Art Show upstairs and display incredible self-control and great restraint in managing not to purchase a print of Les Edwards' cover for Creature of Havocor a piece of original Bryan Talbot comic artwork.

Go back downstairs to the bar where I run into Marc Gascoigne (Angry Robot overlord, former BL publisher, my first FF editor and former flatmate) followed by Bryan Talbot. I even get to shake the great man's hand****.

1pm - The End of the Linebook launch. Twelve authors arrayed to sign Solaris Books' latest horror anthology. Take pity on Jon Oliver and David Moore (who are both looking worse than me) and buy them a re-hydrating Coke each. Manage to pick up the last copy and get it signed by all present, in the process meeting such luminaries as Simon Bestwick and Stephen Volk in the flesh for the first time.

2pm - Leave FantasyCon with a bag full of books, Doctor Who toys for the kids and safe in the knowledge that I'll earn a few Brownie points for leaving on time!

Here are the books I picked up at FantasyCon. Some were freebies, some I parted with my hard-earned cash for.

BL at Games Day UK, okay?

This Sunday (26 September) Games Day UK is taking place at the Birmingham NEC. I'll be there (as a fan as well as to chat to the BL editors and authors) and if you're planning on coming along yourself, check out this visitors' map (taking careful notes of the Black Library Digitial bit - cool!).

A walk on part in the next Ulysses Quicksilver Pax Britannia novel Anno Frankenstein, due to be published by Abaddon Books in 2011. It will be up to me how you appear in the book and whether you're a hero, a villain or a name on a tombstone, but your name will appear somewhere within the book.

How to Enter

All you have to do to qualify is create your own Pax Britannia scene - out of Lego! It can be from any of the already published Pax Britannia novels (mine or Al Ewing's) or the forthcoming Dark Side (which is out soon). It could even be from the as yet unwritten Anno Frankenstein, using Mark Harrison's stunning cover for inspiration.

Normal service will resume shortly

I always swore I'd never do this, but I find myself having to apologise for the general lack of posts, Facebook updates and Tweets of late. The thing is, this summer the Green family moved house while I was busy trying to write my twelfth novel.

Well, the good news is that the novel - Pax Britannia: Dark Side- is now finished (I'm just waiting on my editor's comments on the short story that's accompanying it). Plenty more tasks lie ahead and Phase 2 of the Big Move awaits, but you can expect a flurry of updates over the next few days, specifically regarding the Pax Britanniabooks and a couple of short story anthologies I'm appearing in.

FantasyCon 2010

I didn't think I was going to be able to make it (what with work commitments and the rest) but it turns out that I am going to be at FantasyConafter all this year. I'm actually going to be there for less than 24 hours but I will be attending the Abaddon-sponsored Metal Karaoke Night at The Salutation Inn on Friday and I'll be hanging out in the vicinity of the Abaddon stand on the Saturday morning (and hopefully not going before The End of the Line book launch).

So if you're going too why not drop by the Abaddonstand and say "Hi!" I might even sign something for you. ;-)

It was 20 years ago today...

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Howl of the Werewolf is back!

Secondly, Howl of the Werewolf's been out for about a week in the new Wizard edition. This contains the Fighting Fantasy adventure you know and love along with three pre-generated playable characters (Johann Ironarm, Wolfrick of Pritzbad and Sabine Greypelt) and a preview of Trial of Champions.

About Me

I am a freelance writer and editor, well known for my contributions to the Fighting Fantasy range of adventure gamebooks. I have also written for such diverse properties as Sonic the Hedgehog, Doctor Who, Star Wars and Games Workshop's worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
I am the creator of the alternative steampunk universe of Pax Britannia, and have written eight novels featuring the debonair dandy adventurer Ulysses Quicksilver.
As well as my fiction work, I have also written a number of non-fiction books including 'Match Wits with the Kids', 'What is Myrrh Anyway? Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas' and 'YOU ARE THE HERO - A History of Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks'.